Getting Disability for Depression???

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marilynx
marilynx Posts: 128 Member
in Chit-Chat
Awhile back I met a woman who used to live in my old neighborhood. She was a very nice woman. We would talk everytime we saw each other. One day out of the sake of conversation I asked her where did she work. She told me she didn't work. I looked confused because she lived alone except for her 16 year old son, so I knew something didn't seem right. I think she could read the expression in my face because she said, "oh, I'm in disability due to depression."

It took a lot of conscious thought to keep my face straight.

You're getting disability for being depressed?

What are your thoughts? Am I the only one who thinks this is a waste of money? Can depression really be so crippling that you can't work? I mean, even people with highly crippling mental disabilities on medication can go to work...... Is someone's depression so damning that they just won't be able to work? To me that's a hopeless existence.
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  • debbash68
    debbash68 Posts: 981 Member
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    Hmm not sure about topic of post, but maybe shouldnt be calling people schizos! There's a lot of stigma out there , wouldn't want to add to it and make life harder for people:smile:
  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
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    As a schizo on medication who currently cannot work I take mild offence to that.

    But to the point of the thread, yes clinical depression can be crippling to the point where a person cannot work. Is it really your place to be judging the veracity of someone else's mental illness?

    Do you have personal experience with it, or...?
  • obeseandsassy
    obeseandsassy Posts: 118
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    If you have to ask, you've obviously never been clinically depressed.

    Meds don't work for everyone. Therapy doesn't work for everyone. Just saying 'chin up' doesn't work for ANYONE.

    I work at a psych hospital, and have a long history of mental illness. Mental illness is just as serious and pernicious as any physical ailment.
  • marilynx
    marilynx Posts: 128 Member
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    As a schizo on medication who currently cannot work I take mild offence to that.

    But to the point of the thread, yes clinical depression can be crippling to the point where a person cannot work. Is it really your place to be judging the veracity of someone else's mental illness?

    Do you have personal experience with it, or...?

    I'm very sorry. I shortened the work out of sheer laziness. I will go back and fix it.

    And yes I do. I was clinically depressed for a long time. So was my brother. He was hospitalized because of it, and on meds. But disability was never offered to him to help. My mom has a mental disorder, that I will not disclose. But no disability. I was just wondering is all. I have mental illness rampant in my family, but disability for it? It still doesn't seem right.

    I
  • Sashoi
    Sashoi Posts: 295 Member
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    I can't speak for depression but I have a friend who gets disability for being obese. In my eyes she can get up and lose the weight but everyone is not willing and able to do that. Now I applied for disability when I got diagnosed with Luekemia in 2009. They turned me down saying I didn't have a debilitating disease. Not to mention I have a disabled child that for as long as she live she will never be able to walk talk or feed herself. Yet to them I wasn't needy, but I didn't cry about and I continued to work and take care of my child while doing chemo. I just finished another 6 month round of chemo and I worked through it all. We all have our crosses to bear and only god can be the true judge. I like to believe that the man upstairs knew I was wrong enough and here I am 4 years later still living.
  • ostrichagain
    ostrichagain Posts: 271 Member
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    To me that's a hopeless existence.

    Then thank you're lucky stars it isn't yours. Depression run rampant through my family, many of my relatives have committed suicide. It's absolutely awful and REALLY it is a debilitating illness.
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
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    What are your thoughts? Am I the only one who thinks this is a waste of money? Can depression really be so crippling that you can't work? I mean, even people with highly crippling mental disabilities on medication can go to work...... Is someone's depression so damning that they just won't be able to work? To me that's a hopeless existence.

    Yes. I was diagnosed with major depression over ten years ago. At the time I was put onto medication and it was so bad that I could not work. Depression is a serious condition that, unfortunately, can be fatal. I can assure you - major depression is not something you would wish on your worst enemy. These days my depression is something that I manage through medication, diet, exercise, regular sleep and maintaining important relationships. And while I have been out of work the last six months - that is due to the economic situation here rather than my condition.

    As for the woman who you met - whether she was genuinely suffering from depression or whether she was rorting the system - that I do not know.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
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    As a schizo on medication who currently cannot work I take mild offence to that.

    But to the point of the thread, yes clinical depression can be crippling to the point where a person cannot work. Is it really your place to be judging the veracity of someone else's mental illness?

    Do you have personal experience with it, or...?

    I'm very sorry. I shortened the work out of sheer laziness. I will go back and fix it.

    And yes I do. I was clinically depressed for a long time. So was my brother. He was hospitalized because of it, and on meds. But disability was never offered to him to help. My mom has a mental disorder, that I will not disclose. But no disability. I was just wondering is all. I have mental illness rampant in my family, but disability for it? It still doesn't seem right.

    I

    I'm very sorry you've had to experience it. It's an evil, soul sucking monster.

    Personally when the subject of disability for depression was brought up to me, I didn't feel right about it either, even though there were days when I was too busy crying in bed to do anything else. Even now that I'm applying for it now that my diagnosis has been 'upgraded' from major depression it still feels odd not earning my own money and instead getting it from the government.

    The way I see it though, if the person is on disability then there's obviously a need for it. Likewise just going onto disability doesn't end your life. A person can still work limited hours if they want to and earn a set amount of money (at least where I live), go to school, etc. And if the person exceeds the limit of money they can make then they just don't receive the money from the government but the status stays with them.
    It's not an end. It's a support net.
  • obeseandsassy
    obeseandsassy Posts: 118
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    For those who don't understand just how truly crippling depression can be, take a look at this blog post. It's a perfect explanation, and even manages to be funny while talking about such a serious subject:

    http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-part-two.html
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    If you have to ask, you've obviously never been clinically depressed.

    This.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    If you have to ask, you've obviously never been clinically depressed.
    Exactly so. Clinical depression is not "feeling kind of down."
  • Barbellgirl
    Barbellgirl Posts: 544 Member
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    As someone that helps people get approved for disability benefits I can tell you yes, they can. It must be very severe though, despite treatment. I urge people not to judge others. Unless you've seen their medical records you cannot possibly understand the severity of their mental impairments. Depression is often not the only diagnosis carried by such a person.
  • Slippyslope
    Slippyslope Posts: 47 Member
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    I live with someone who suffers from depression.....I think I am becoming DISABLED! :frown:
    Seriously, it can be BAD!
  • orangebuttercat
    orangebuttercat Posts: 143 Member
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    I had a stroke, was paralyzed, determined I wouldn't work ever again.
    SS said no.
    My long term disability insurer, hired a company that specializes in helping deserving people get disability..
    It took them two years, but my disability went through, and they granted it to me.

    My point is if its dibilitating enough, you may not be able to do it alone.
    If you want the name of the company that helped me, Pm me.

    BTW thanks to ticket to work program,and tireless rehab I am no longer on disability. (although i get medicare for 6 years, and go back on it anytime I want)
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
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    What are your thoughts? Am I the only one who thinks this is a waste of money? Can depression really be so crippling that you can't work? I mean, even people with highly crippling mental disabilities on medication can go to work...... Is someone's depression so damning that they just won't be able to work? To me that's a hopeless existence.

    I think you don't understand the condition.

    Ok, I'll try to explain this...many mental disorders give people trouble, but assuming they have anything like normal cognition they may be able to work and want to do so. Depression can be very disabling.

    Pretend for a moment you are a severely depressed person and that these emotions are yours:

    Imagine the most activity you could manage was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling and sorta hoping you might spontaneously die. Not even necessarily want to kill yourself, it just crosses you mind that it would be ok if you didn't have to do this pointless thing we call life. How on Earth can you go to work when nothing in the entire Universe matters? What would be the point?

    It is indeed hopeless. That is quite literally the condition we are talking about. You are, at least temporarily, completely without hope. The concept is alien, therefore the perfectly logical conclusion is that no action is worthwhile or even possible. In your mind there is absolutely no way it would possibly turn out well.

    Depression is not like being sad. Depression is your brain not working properly in a very serious way.

    Read the hyperbole and a half blog post obeseandsassy linked too. It's good.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    It's about time mental health was covered under health insurance plans, honestly.
  • whitlisd
    whitlisd Posts: 85
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    I had to go on short term disability this spring for depression. It was the first time ever that it has affected me so badly that I actually missed work and I'm 41. It got triggered by a few things which made me eventually snap. I've suffered with it chronically since I was a child.

    It took me a long time to realize that look, when you are physically sick you may need to be home from work because if you went you would not be a productive member of the team. It's the same with mental illness. When you have no will to live or even to get out of bed, how can you perform your job on any sort of competent level? Yes, a person with depression "can" work, but are the mentally stable enough to? That is the question. And sure, there is medication and half of that leaves you feeling worse off than you were in the first place.

    We MUST get rid of the stigma of mental illness. It is real. People suffer and should NOT be judged because of it. There is a 1 in 4 chance that ANY of us could have it throughout our lives.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    For those who don't understand just how truly crippling depression can be, take a look at this blog post. It's a perfect explanation, and even manages to be funny while talking about such a serious subject:

    http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

    Yes, she totally nailed it right there and was able to put into words everything I've never been able to express.

    Depression runs in both sides of my family, and there have been times I've been so bad I couldn't even get out of bed. I've missed work and other events because of it, but I've never thought about trying for disability for my depression, though. Some people may see it as a legit reason for getting disability, but the way I was raised would make me not feel right about it.

    I wouldn't be able to give a blanket answer to your question since it seems that most people with depression don't suffer through it the exact same way as everyone else.
  • marilynx
    marilynx Posts: 128 Member
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    I can't speak for depression but I have a friend who gets disability for being obese. In my eyes she can get up and lose the weight but everyone is not willing and able to do that. Now I applied for disability when I got diagnosed with Luekemia in 2009. They turned me down saying I didn't have a debilitating disease. Not to mention I have a disabled child that for as long as she live she will never be able to walk talk or feed herself. Yet to them I wasn't needy, but I didn't cry about and I continued to work and take care of my child while doing chemo. I just finished another 6 month round of chemo and I worked through it all. We all have our crosses to bear and only god can be the true judge. I like to believe that the man upstairs knew I was wrong enough and here I am 4 years later still living.

    See, this is the problem. If you can get disability for something like depression, then you should be able to get it if you have cancer, especially if you have a disabled child. You are a survivor ma'am. Awesome for you.

    I just think we should be trying to FIX the problem. That money could be spent on intensive inpatient treatment. I had a professor in college who discussed this topic. It was a Drugs and Society class. After taking his class I have a whole different perspective on America's treatment of mental disorders. Instead of trying to help we medicate and put bandaids just to keep making money off of people's suffering. Disability for obesity? I guess it pays more to keep a person motivated to stay obese so doctors are guaranteed thousands of dollars by the time this person dies.

    I'm not trying to judge, but I am entitled to my opinion. I had no idea that depression could be so crippling. Like I said I watched my brother spiral in it. He was hospitalized for a month, medicated and sedated; he used to tell me demons were following him. I cried for him quite a bit. After awhile he got some newer aged treatment, starting exercising, and now he's in college and going to work. I guess that's why I didn't empathize with the woman, because I saw my brother fight it and come out on top.

    I am glad I asked. I learned something new. It still makes me uneasy, but that's probably because there are theoretical practices that could be tried. But every situation is a different case, so I don't know.
  • radashley
    radashley Posts: 3 Member
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    To know that someone can receive disability for their depression shows that the government is at least starting to take mental health more seriously. As someone who struggles with depression and has friends struggling as well, I have seen and experienced the debilitating effects of it firsthand. Also, many people have a dual diagnosis, so that makes it even harder. Yes, it can be very hard to leave the house or even bed for some people, so if this what someone struggles with everyday, then I believe they should receive disability. If they end up getting the right medication or even some of these newer treatments, then it's possible they won't be on disability for the rest of their life.
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